This invention relates generally to the field of dance shoes and more specifically to an insole for a ballet slipper.
Ballet shoes that allow a dancer to dance on pointe, that is, on the tip of their toes, have been in existence for approximately two hundred years. Ballet shoes that allow a dancer to dance on pointe have a rigid box shape at the tip of the shoe that allows the dancer to dance while his or her toes are pointed downward toward the floor. The insole of a standard ballet slipper tends to be rather rigid at the front and middle portion of the shoe to help support the dancer's foot while on pointe.
Although this rigidity does help the dancer stay on point, there is a deficiency in the prior art in that novice dancers, especially children have a difficult time going from the flat position to the on pointe position without any intermediate articulation of the foot. Due to the rigid construction of the insole, no intermediate articulation is possible.
Currently, there are no ballet slippers available on the market or in the patent literature that allow a student to roll through, that is, to rise or descend through demi-pointe comfortably. Because of this, many young dancers suffer foot injuries during their attempts to dance on pointe.